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Organizers gear up for annual cook-off

Australians Viktor Zalums (right) along with Australian Beef Tongmaster teammates Peter Mitcham and Sarah Durrand hand out samples of their barbecued beef at their tent during the Second Annual BBQ Capital Cook-off in 2012.

Published: Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 4:12 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 4:12 p.m.

Barbecue will be the name of the game in uptown Lexington this weekend.

Facts

Want to go?

The Third Annual BBQ Capital Cook-off will be held 6-9 p.m. Friday and 9:30 a.m.- 5 p.m. Saturday behind the Edward C. Smith Civic Center between East Second and Third avenues. Admission is free. The Southern Gateway Wine Festival will be held in conjunction with the cook-off and will include tastings from five wineries. The cost for the tastings for each person is $5. The wine festival will be held 6-9 p.m. Friday and noon-5 p.m. Saturday

Seventy-seven teams — a record number — from across the state and East Coast will compete in the Third Annual BBQ Capital Cook-off. The event, which will be held rain or shine, gets underway Friday evening and will continue Saturday.

The cook-off, sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society and hosted by Uptown Lexington Inc., will be held behind the Edward C. Smith Civic Center between East Second and Third avenues. Admission for the cook-off is free, and the event is open to the public from 6-9 p.m. Friday and from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday.

This past year's two-day event was featured on the nationally televised cooking competition, "BBQ Pitmasters." And with that said, Chad Hodges, the event's chairman, is expecting this year's cook-off — sponsored by Bank of the Carolinas — to draw a crowd of between 40,000 and 45,000 people between the two days compared to his estimate of about 30,000 a year ago.

"'Pitmasters' put us on the map," he said. "'Pitmasters' saw we were an up-and-coming event, a quality event."

In addition to the cooking competition, this year's event will include the Great American BBQ Tour during the two days. Presented by Big Green Egg, Castle Wood Reserve, Farmland, Smithfield and Reser's Fine Foods, the tour will bring cooking tips and tricks from a professional KCBS competition team to event attendees. The public will be able to enjoy free samples and learn how to cook recipes.

The competition, which is held in an effort to have a spring event that serves as a complement to the city's annual Barbecue Festival in late October, offers a $15,900 prize purse and will be judged by over 90 judges from across the United States.

"It's going to be a good competition," Hodges said. "The competition teams will not be selling the foods. There will be four huge barbecue vendors selling food."

Teams will be giving samples when they are not competing, Hodges said, while requesting people to give the members their space when they are competing Saturday morning and not request samples at that time.

Vance Walser of Lexington is a member of the Fog-tot-dae (it stands for Four old grillers, too old to do anything else) team. He and the three others, Frank Bell, Mark Klass (Davidson County Superior Court judge) and Larry Linder, will compete in their second BBQ Capital Cook-off in Lexington. The four have been longtime friends.

"We have been cooking for years, but never on the lines of competition," Walser said. "… We just do it for enjoyment. … We wanted to support the local Lexington effort here."

Walser's goal is for his team to finish in the top half of the competition.

"It's been great for Lexington, and I think it's going to get bigger and better, and I look forward to it each and every year," he said, referring to the cook-off.

Roger Wise of Clemmons is a member of Pickin' Porkers. His team, comprised of his wife, Marsha, and children Scott, 24, and Nic, 23, will return to their third year of Lexington's event.

"Chad has done such a wonderful job the way the contest flows, no problems," Wise said. "He's got a decent purse, just all kinds of different reasons to participate."

Wise encourages people to attend the event so they can see some of the best teams in the nation.

"This is the best place to see them," he said. "I hope people come and support it. I'm tickled to see Lexington have a barbecue contest."

This year's two-day event also will include an enhanced children's area filled with nine huge inflatables. The cost is $7 for each family's first child and $6 for each child thereafter.

Both days include live music. The headline musician is Joni Pardi, who will perform at 3 p.m. Saturday on the main stage. The performance is sponsored by Q104.1.

The event also will feature the Southern Gateway Wine Festival, which will include tastings from five wineries: Childress Vineyards, Weathervane Winery, Native Vines Winery, Junius Lindsay Vineyards and Cauble Creek Vineyard. The cost is $5 for a wristband to have tastings from the five wineries. The wine festival will be held behind the Habitat for Humanity Restore off of East Third Avenue. from 6-9 p.m. Friday and noon-5 p.m. Saturday.

For more information, call 249-0383 or visit www.uptownlexington.com.

Darrick Ignasiak can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 217, or at darrick.ignasiak@the-dispatch.com.

<p>Barbecue will be the name of the game in uptown Lexington this weekend.</p><p>Seventy-seven teams — a record number — from across the state and East Coast will compete in the Third Annual BBQ Capital Cook-off. The event, which will be held rain or shine, gets underway Friday evening and will continue Saturday.</p><p>The cook-off, sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society and hosted by Uptown Lexington Inc., will be held behind the Edward C. Smith Civic Center between East Second and Third avenues. Admission for the cook-off is free, and the event is open to the public from 6-9 p.m. Friday and from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday.</p><p>This past year's two-day event was featured on the nationally televised cooking competition, "BBQ Pitmasters." And with that said, Chad Hodges, the event's chairman, is expecting this year's cook-off — sponsored by Bank of the Carolinas — to draw a crowd of between 40,000 and 45,000 people between the two days compared to his estimate of about 30,000 a year ago.</p><p>"'Pitmasters' put us on the map," he said. "'Pitmasters' saw we were an up-and-coming event, a quality event."</p><p>In addition to the cooking competition, this year's event will include the Great American BBQ Tour during the two days. Presented by Big Green Egg, Castle Wood Reserve, Farmland, Smithfield and Reser's Fine Foods, the tour will bring cooking tips and tricks from a professional KCBS competition team to event attendees. The public will be able to enjoy free samples and learn how to cook recipes.</p><p>The competition, which is held in an effort to have a spring event that serves as a complement to the city's annual Barbecue Festival in late October, offers a $15,900 prize purse and will be judged by over 90 judges from across the United States.</p><p>"It's going to be a good competition," Hodges said. "The competition teams will not be selling the foods. There will be four huge barbecue vendors selling food."</p><p>Teams will be giving samples when they are not competing, Hodges said, while requesting people to give the members their space when they are competing Saturday morning and not request samples at that time.</p><p>Vance Walser of Lexington is a member of the Fog-tot-dae (it stands for Four old grillers, too old to do anything else) team. He and the three others, Frank Bell, Mark Klass (Davidson County Superior Court judge) and Larry Linder, will compete in their second BBQ Capital Cook-off in Lexington. The four have been longtime friends.</p><p>"We have been cooking for years, but never on the lines of competition," Walser said. "… We just do it for enjoyment. … We wanted to support the local Lexington effort here."</p><p>Walser's goal is for his team to finish in the top half of the competition.</p><p>"It's been great for Lexington, and I think it's going to get bigger and better, and I look forward to it each and every year," he said, referring to the cook-off.</p><p>Roger Wise of Clemmons is a member of Pickin' Porkers. His team, comprised of his wife, Marsha, and children Scott, 24, and Nic, 23, will return to their third year of Lexington's event.</p><p>"Chad has done such a wonderful job the way the contest flows, no problems," Wise said. "He's got a decent purse, just all kinds of different reasons to participate."</p><p>Wise encourages people to attend the event so they can see some of the best teams in the nation.</p><p>"This is the best place to see them," he said. "I hope people come and support it. I'm tickled to see Lexington have a barbecue contest."</p><p>This year's two-day event also will include an enhanced children's area filled with nine huge inflatables. The cost is $7 for each family's first child and $6 for each child thereafter.</p><p>Both days include live music. The headline musician is Joni Pardi, who will perform at 3 p.m. Saturday on the main stage. The performance is sponsored by Q104.1.</p><p>The event also will feature the Southern Gateway Wine Festival, which will include tastings from five wineries: Childress Vineyards, Weathervane Winery, Native Vines Winery, Junius Lindsay Vineyards and Cauble Creek Vineyard. The cost is $5 for a wristband to have tastings from the five wineries. The wine festival will be held behind the Habitat for Humanity Restore off of East Third Avenue. from 6-9 p.m. Friday and noon-5 p.m. Saturday.</p><p>For more information, call 249-0383 or visit www.uptownlexington.com.</p><p>Darrick Ignasiak can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 217, or at darrick.ignasiak@the-dispatch.com.</p>